The Chaos Emerald
by Plastic Emotion
Summary: Completed It's Raven's B-Day and BB finds a pretty stone, makes it into a necklace, and gives it to her. The most unusual thing happens and to get back home from where they are, they need to work together or die trying.
1. Finders Keepers

**The Chaos Emerald**

**The ShapeShifting Chick:**_ Hey there, I'm back and so is this story! I know there's been asking for it so I'm giving it back. [loud cheering crowd] Okay so read, enjoy and of course, review! _

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Finders Keepers

"I feel much better now!" said Beast Boy, drying off the water with a towel. A heat wave had hit Jump City and he couldn't take the heat. To cool off, he took a swim in the ocean, behind the tower's shadow. He had been in there for two hours and his hands started to wrinkle up. The whole time he had been thinking about what he could get Raven for her birthday. Raven was a difficult match to an item besides books, but he had no idea what book she already had or read.

He sat on a rock, still a little wet, but enjoying the weather, now that he wasn't dying from the heat. He wrapped the towel over his back and thought silently. "...What could I get her?" he muttered. He had nothing and he didn't want to steal any present ideas from his friends. The shape-shifter threw a rock into the water and watched it sink to the bottom, disappearing into the depths of the ocean's deep.

He could always give her money, but that would be stupid. When he gave gifts, he liked them to be memorable. He also liked to get something that described the person's personality. The back door opened and Cyborg stuck his head out. "Here you are!" he said. Beast Boy looked up at him. "What's up?"

"Starfire's scooping ice cream, you want?" he asked. Beast Boy nodded, "Yeah." Cyborg went back in, closing the door. "Can't think on an empty stomach." he smiled. He grabbed another rock and threw it as far as he could. It plunked and something shiny floated up, then sank down. Beast Boy leaned forward curiously. "What's that?" he wondered.

Slowly, he picked up another rock and threw it in the same direction, hoping he would see the object again. He did, but only for a second. He tossed his towel aside and dived in, too curious to care. He swam for a good distance and went under. "I know it was around here somewhere..." he thought, swimming around in circles. He went back to the surface to take a breath.

"Maybe it was just the heat playing tricks on..." he started, looking down once more. All the way below, on the sandy floor, he saw something shimmer. "Or maybe not!" he thought, swimming down. The salt from the water began to burn his eyes, but he still had a little air he could hold in. He rubbed his eyes, "Why don't I just...?"

He changed into a shark and sucked in the water. "Much better!" Beast Boy searched through the sand, trying to locate the item. He gave his tail fin a wave, blowing the sand to the side, revealing a palm sized stone. He took it in his mouth and swam to the surface again. Spitting it out, he looked at it with fascination. "This thing's pretty neat." He told himself, turning it over in the water.

He swam back to the shore and started cleaning the dirt and grime off of it. Once it was cleaned, he held it in the sun. It shined beautifully, spreading dark light everywhere. The stone was a black toned gem with a diamond-like cut. He turned it over and over in his hand. The green one had come to like this little jewel and an idea instantly popped into his head. "I could give this to Raven!" he thought happily.

He searched it to make sure it was in tact and pocketed the small treasure. He grabbed his towel, put on his sneakers, and went inside, not realizing he was still wet. "Beast Boy!" Starfire moaned. "What?" he asked. She pointed to his wet sneakers that were tracking mud all over. "Oh...oops." he grinned weakly. Starfire got a mop and began cleaning the mess. Beast Boy went to his room and changed from his bathing suit into his clothes.

He took the stone out and dried it off. "If I can find a chain, this could be a necklace!" he said, shining it. "Yeah, I'll make it into a necklace." he decided. "Beast Boy?" Raven was calling him. He quickly shoved the small gem into his drawer and slammed it shut. "Beast Boy?" He got up and opened his door, "Yes?" "There's a melting bowl of ice cream in the kitchen. If you're going to eat it, I advise you to do so now, before Robin throws it out or eats it himself." She warned.

He nodded, "Thanks for the info." She continued her walk and he closed his door. The green boy went to his desk and took out the stone, looking at it again. There was something about this stone that caught his interest, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He shrugged, "Oh well, there's a bowl of ice cream that's calling my name. I can fix this up later." he said, placing it safely back in its hiding spot.

Beast Boy walked down the hallway and into the kitchen, catching Robin about to eat his ice cream. "Caught you red handed, boy wonder!" Beast Boy said proudly, grabbing the bowl. "I believe this belongs to me?" Robin smiled, "If you leave it like that again, next time you won't be so lucky." Beast Boy stuffed a scoop into his mouth, "Whatever, dude."

Back inside the joker's room, placed between pens, CDs, and game covers, the black jewel began to glow.


	2. Big Surprise

**Big Surprise**

Raven closed her book of poems and emptied her cup in the sink. She hadn't seen her friends all day. Three of them had left notes in separate places, telling of where they were and what they were doing. Starfire had gone to library to figure out how borrowing books worked through a card and Robin had gone to the local gym with Cyborg. It was as if this was a regular day. Not that Raven cared, but it would have been nice if her friends had remembered.

She went to the living room to find Beast Boy there. "Don't you have anything to do today?" she asked. He quickly hid something behind his back. "No, not really..." Raven's eyes shifted to his arms, "What do you have there?" she asked. "Where?" he questioned, looking around. "Behind your back." She muttered.

Beast Boy pulled out the remote, "This." Raven rolled her eyes, "You don't need to hide a remote from me, I'm not going to take it from you." She went to her room to get something and Beast Boy let out a deep breath of air. She had almost caught him with her present. He quickly stuck the chain through the loop that had been attached not too long ago and snapped the lock together.

"There!" he said, satisfied. "Now to wrap this up." He ran passed her room and into his, placing the gift into its black, silk box. He took out some wrapping paper from his closet and covered it, with a little difficulty from the tape. "All right, it's ready to go!" he cheered, carrying the box gently. He opened his door, making sure Raven was out of sight, and disappeared into the tower.

Raven brought out her book and looked around. "Beast Boy?" she called. He had gone somewhere, just as the rest had. She took out a pen and clicked it to write. "_My friends have forgotten my birthday. They have all disappeared somewhere, so I am alone, as most times._" she wrote. She felt that writing her feelings instead of expressing them was the safest thing to do on everyone's behalf. Since expressing them was out of the question, she bought a book to write down only when something important to her had happened. She never thought of it as a diary, but as a therapeutic tool.

"_It's very quiet. Although I like it this way, it is very unnatural._" She stopped writing. She had heard a noise coming from the hallway. "It could be Beast Boy..." she thought, but doubted it. It was like a squeak, familiar, but at the moment Raven couldn't remember what the noise was. She slowly went back to writing, but couldn't concentrate correctly. "_Something strange is happening at this moment. I'm not sure what it is, but I plan to find out._" She closed the book and placed it on the couch.

She walked into the hallway and looked around, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing was out of place or damaged. She found no one. Raven rubbed her head, "Mind games..." she mumbled. She traveled back to where her notebook was and froze. She had left it closed and now it had been opened by someone. The page was opened to the one she had been recently been writing on.

There was that squeak again! Raven's eyes scattered around the room. She was alone, or was she? She followed to where she heard the noise. Counting every step, she led herself to the back of the tower. A bang that sounded more like a pop exploded near where she was. "Now what?" she moaned, her head twisting in the direction of the pop.

"Squeaks and popping noises..." she muttered. Raven decided she would have to inform the others when they came back. A door slammed. But not any door. Raven ran to the bottom of the roof stairs and looked up. "Someone's up there and they are really getting on my nerves." Cautiously, she climbed the stairs and slowly opened the door. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RAVEN!" She was thrown back by the yell.

Raven looked around. The roof was totally decorated with birthday candles, tables, and an enormous banner that said _Happy Birthday Raven!_ The titans had even made a canopy over a large portion of the roof, making it a little outdoor room to have some shade. Raven pulled her hood up and smiled. They had not forgotten one bit. "You did all this for me?" she asked.

"Of course. Birthdays come only once a year!" Robin told her. "And they are most important! It celebrates the day you were brought to live!" Starfire answered happily, hugging her friend. "Not to mention you get presents!" Beast Boy laughed. Cyborg led her to the chocolate frosted cake with light purple frosting. "Time to sing, ya'll!" They all smiled and sang, "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear Raven, Happy Birthday to you!"

"Make a wish!" Robin reminded her. She blew the candles and they all cheered. Raven looked at Beast Boy and knew what was coming. Every year, he would make up a stupid song for her birthday. "You're just waiting for that song, eh Raven?" he laughed. Raven sighed and the attention went to Beast Boy. He cleared his throat, "She's one year older! She's one year faster! She's one year smarter! She is the master! It is her birthday, we cannot stop it...!" Raven glared at him, "...by the look she's giving me, I'm gonna get it!" he ended quickly, with everyone laughing.

Raven rolled her eyes, "Thank you for that, Beast Boy." He smiled, "Only on your B-day! Once a year, our greatest fear, your birthday is so very near..." Raven looked at him sternly, "One song per birthday!" He nodded, "Okay!"

Raven cut the cake and Cyborg gave everyone a piece with ice cream on the side. Raven sat down and ate her cake, and a thought came up. "What were those noises I heard before I came up?" she asked them. Robin grabbed a balloon and let some air out through the tail, making a high pitched squeak. "I knew I recognized that sound from somewhere. And the pop?" Cyborg squeezed a balloon, making it pop. "And which one of you went through my book?"

The two looked at Beast Boy who smiled innocently, "I couldn't resist." Raven went back to her cake, "Don't touch that book again." Beast Boy looked at the ground and remembered what he had read. "You really thought we had forgotten your birthday?" he asked. Everyone looked at Raven with a surprised expression. "Uhh..." she said, feeling a little embarrassed. "Raven, we would never do that!" said Robin.

"Yeah, birthdays are like holidays." said Cyborg. Raven stayed quiet. Why did Beast Boy have to bring that up? She sighed and put her plate down. "Now it is time for the opening of gifts!" Starfire exclaimed, gathering all the presents and placing them next to Raven. Raven put her plate on the table and picked up one gift. It was from Starfire. The package was book-shaped and heavy. "I could only wonder." Raven thought, ripping the paper from the object. It _was_ a book. A scrapbook, holding every memory from the time the titans had first gotten together. A book of memories. Starfire waited, hoping Raven would like it. Raven looked at her and smiled, "Thank you, Starfire. I'll keep this forever."

Starfire smiled and put her hands together happily, "You are most welcome Raven!" She put the scrapbook to the side and pick up another present. This one was from Cyborg. She opened the gift and her eyes shined with interest. A digital planner, designed by Cyborg himself. It had everything she did and more she could add to with a touch of a button. It also served as a TV show alert and remote so she would never miss her favorite program. "Thanks Cyborg. This will definitely come in handy." Cyborg nodded kindly.

Raven lifted the next present, opened the box, and looked inside. It looked like a small platform with a handle bar. "It's a book stacker." Robin answered to her confusion. "You attach this to your book shelf." He pointed to the handle, "And you place the book here when you're done with it. It automatically puts the book where it was and it can place favorites or ones you've read already together." he explained. "Oh! Thank you. Good, I'll need a little help reorganizing my books." Raven answered. Robin smiled.

She finally picked up the small package from Beast Boy and slowly removed the paper. Raven lifted the top of the box and gasped. She had never seen such a stone in her life as dark as that one, but it glowed with the brightness of the light. It was so different and it was hers. "I thought you'd might like it." Beast Boy said with a smile. She nodded and closed the box. "Thank you all for your gifts, this party, and our friendship." she thanked them.

They all cheered and finished up the food. Raven placed the book stacker on her bookshelf and her organizer on her desk. She kept the scrapbook on her bed. She was going to go through it later. Raven opened the box and wondered where Beast Boy had gotten it. The stone seemed so familiar, but why? "I feel like I know about this gem." she whispered. She took it out and put the box away.

Raven walked through the hallway and bumped into Starfire. "That is a very fine jewel." Starfire approved, watching the light bounce off of it. Raven nodded. "Why do you not wear it?" Starfire asked. Raven lifted the jewel and leveled it with her eyes. "Oh, why not?" she muttered. Carefully, she unhooked the chain and placed it around her neck. Starfire retrieved a mirror and held it up to Raven, "It matches wonderfully!" she said.

Raven looked at her reflection and watched the stone. It had begun to glow. "What's this?" Starfire lowered the mirror and looked at the necklace, "Is that...normal?" Raven shook her head slightly, "I don't think..." Starfire stared at Raven in shock. "Raven, you are disappearing!" Raven had become clear and see through, and she was slightly lifting off the floor.

In the kitchen, the boys were cleaning up. "Hey Cyborg, do we have anymore ice cream?" Robin asked, washing the dishes. Cyborg cleaned his mouth that was covered with vanilla, "...not anymore." "Good thing it was nice out." said Beast Boy, coming back in after taking out the garbage. "Hey Beast Boy, where'd you get that black gem?" asked Cyborg, taking a rest. Beast Boy leaned on the counter, "I found it."

Cyborg raised his eyebrow, "Yeah, sure." Beast Boy lifted his arms, "I did! Yesterday when I went swimming I found it!" he explained. "All perfectly cut like that?" asked Robin, joining Cyborg in the break. "Yup! All like the way it is. I just added the chain to make it a necklace." Robin and Cyborg stared at him. "What?" he asked, wondering what they were looking at. "You...look!" Cyborg pointed at him. Beast Boy looked down and his eyes widened.

"Hey! What's going on!?" He could see right through his hands. He could only see the outline of himself. Suddenly, he lifted from the ground, but grabbed on to the table. "Dudes! Help me, I'm lifting off!" Robin and Cyborg each grabbed a hand of his, but in a blink of an eye, he was gone. "Beast Boy!" Robin yelled. "Where'd he go?!" asked Cyborg looking around. Starfire came in with a shriek, "Raven is gone!" Robin nodded, "So is Beast Boy."

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_The ShapeShifting Chick: Where have they gone?! Oh my! Well, if you really want to find out...sings make a wish upon a star...heh...okay...not really. You'll have to review! I'll update when I get's...20 reviews or more! . I hope that happens!_


	3. In Vale

**In Vale**

Raven looked around. She was definitely not in the tower anymore, but where was she? The sky was a light blue and the white puffs of clouds traveled along on their way to nowhere. She seemed to be in a pasture of some sort, covered with bright green grass and the occasional flowers. In the distance, she could see some smoke. "Maybe I can ask whoever's over there for some answers." she said to herself.

"YAHHHHHHH!" Raven turned her head in the direction the scream came from. Not too far from where she was, Beast Boy had fallen from the sky and face first into the grass. Raven ran over to him, "Beast Boy? Are you all right?" The shape-shifter lifted his head and spit out a mouthful of grass and dirt, "Peachy." he answered lamely. He got up and dusted himself off, "Uh, and we are...where?"

Raven turned around, "I don't know, but there's a village or something over there. We can ask for help." Beast Boy squinted to where Raven was talking about and then looked at her again, noticing the chain. "Hey, your jewel broke off!" he said pointing. Raven's hand went to the chain and unhooked it, holding it. "The jewel..." Suddenly, Raven remembered. Beast Boy began to walk, but Raven put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him from going any farther. "Beast Boy?" He gave her curious look, "Yeah?"

"It was that stone!" He scrunched up his face, "What are you talking about?" "Now I know why I felt a little uneasy about it! The stone you gave me is a transporter emerald. It takes you to different places, cities, or even worlds!" she explained. Beast Boy blinked, "O...kay. So?" Raven sighed, "So it's _dangerous_." "It is?" he asked weakly. "Well, we're in the middle of nowhere aren't we?!" she yelled, annoyed.

Raven began to head towards the village, but Beast Boy stayed behind. "Are you coming or not?" she called. "Shouldn't we look for the transportamajigy?" We could go back home the way we came!" he suggested. Raven returned to the spot where she had first entered this world and searched. Beast Boy changed into a hawk and searched from the skies. After a while he landed, "No luck?" he asked Raven. She shook her head, "No luck."

"Then let's go to that village place that you were talking about before." Raven led the way, which seemed to be forever, to the small village. Raven scanned the area. People there seemed nice and willing to help but they were giving them strange looks and whispered to one another, pointing. Raven turned to Beast Boy, "I'm going to try and ask around. Stay here and don't do anything stupid." She left him and disappeared into the town.

Beast Boy kicked around some dust, feeling highly uncomfortable with the looks civilians were giving him. He heard laughing and cheering coming from a nearby tavern. "I'll just take a peek..." he muttered, walking to the small yellow-bricked, one-floored building. Since the place had no door, he walked right in, succeeding to get more strange looks. All the men were wearing some piece of clothing that had the color brown, but most had vests and pants with boots. The women were wearing dresses and flat shoes. Beast Boy passed around a fight that had broke out in the middle of the bar, which no one seemed to notice, and sat on a stool.

"Lucas Eardsley is getting out of hand, someone must stop him!" said the man sitting next to Beast Boy. "He's been out of hand!" corrected the gentleman who was sitting next to him. "I've heard he's attained a new power! Just very new, one of his allies was just caught not too long ago! About appearing in new places..." Beast Boy leaned on the counter and looked at the other people in the bar. He was still getting strange looks. A girl was staring at him, so he gave her a friendly smile and said hi. This triggered an anger button within, causing her to march up to the green one and slap him. "OW!" She stormed off, muttering something in a different language.

He rubbed his face, "What's her problem!?" The girl behind the counter laughed. "What's so funny?" he asked her grimly. "You are!" she answered with a light English accent. "You obviously don't know Antagon very much." she smiled. "Anta-huh?" asked Beast Boy still rubbing his face. "Antagon. Language of the Antagoners from Angiee?" Beast Boy gave a confused blink, "I still don't see why she slapped me..." The girl laughed again, making her hazel eyes light up, "You called her stupid!"

Beast Boy looked at the girl, shocked, "No I didn't! I said hi to her!" "Which means stupid in Antagon!" "Ohhh...oops." Beast Boy said, shrugging innocently. "Don't be sorry, Angela is not the nicest person in recorded history anyway. She deserved that. Here, this will help." The girl gave him an ice-cold rag that she had previously put some liquid on. He placed the rag against his face and the stinging immediately stopped. "Thanks. I feel bad for the next guy who tries to talk to her. I was probably the warm up for the home run!" he joked.

The girl laughed, "You speak strangely. It is as if your mouth attains no limit to what you say! Do all Lathurains speak in that manner?" Beast Boy stared at her, "A La-whoer-what?" This time the girl stared at him, "Aren't you a Lathurian?" He shook his head slowly, "What's that? Could I have a brief definition?" "Lathurians are part animal, part human. I assumed that what you were because of your ears and teeth. Forgive me if I have mistaken you." she apologized.

Beast Boy listened to this with interest and surprise, "There's more of me?" "I am not sure. You do not know whether you are Lathurain or not. Do you live in Garoh?" Beast Boy shook his head, "No, I live in Jump City. Can you tell me how to get there from here? Me and my friend are kind of lost." The girl shook her head sadly, "I am sorry, but I have never heard of Jump City. Right now, you are in the village of Vale." Beast Boy placed his hands on his head, "Too many names..."

He sat up, "Speaking of names, I never got yours!" he grinned. "Isabel." The girl told him, cleaning some glass cups. He crossed his arms on top of the counter and rested his head on them, "Beautiful..." She paused her cleaning and tilted her head at him. "Uh...name! Beautiful name!" he smiled, with a light blush. She gave him a rare smile, "Hm, thank you." He suddenly covered his face. Isabel leaned close, "What's the matter?" He separated two of his fingers, revealing an eye, "You're not gonna smack me, are you?"

She began to laugh merrily once again, "You clearly have the true talent for making one laugh." He grinned, "And you have the true talent of gracing everyone with your beauty." Her face glowed and Beast Boy kept his smile. She tossed her light brown to one side, "I am most sure you have other things on your schedule besides fancy talking a girl. What is your journey?"

Beast Boy opened his mouth to explain when he remembered what the man next to him was saying. He tapped the man's shoulder, "Excuse me?" The man turned around, "What?" "Before, you were talking about a guy with a new power to go to different places?" Beast Boy asked curiously. "Yes, Lucas Eardsley. Most people know him as the Master of Darkness. He has suddenly found a way to journey to places back and forth with out travel! This is horrible news for all of us. He has already planned to kidnap the five kings of Vale, we've heard from a reliable source! If he succeeds with his plot, we're doomed, the lot of us!" the man explained.

Beast Boy rubbed his chin, "A way to travel, eh?" "Here you are!" a familiar voice sighed. The entire tavern emptied quicker than a second and Isabel hid behind the bar counter, quickly telling Beast Boy to do the same. "These people don't speak English or understand it." Raven said, annoyed, walking to Beast Boy. "Hey Raven, you cleared out the place! I think they're all scared of you." he laughed.

Isabel slowly emerged from her hiding, "You know this girl?" she asked in an edgy voice. "Yeah, this is my friend I was talking about. Raven, Isabel. Isabel, Raven." he introduced. Isabel waved slightly in a jittery fashion. "What's wrong?" Raven asked her. "You...you're not a..." she started. Raven looked at her, "Not a what?" "A Portzillian? A Dark Portzillian?" Raven shook her head, "No." she answered. "What's a Dark Portzillian?"

"A follower of Lucas Eardsley." answered Isabel. Raven shrugged, "Never heard of him. Beast Boy, let's go." Beast Boy held up his hand, "Wait, Raven! I think she can help us! This Lucas guy is some bad dude that recently got a new power." Raven waited to hear his point. "A power to go to places without travel." She blinked. "He recently got this?" asked Raven, glancing at Isabel. Isabel nodded, "Yes, and he's planning to ruin our kingdom with it."

Raven crossed her arms, "He must have my transporter emerald." Beast Boy nodded, "Yeah. And we got to get it back." Raven put her hands on the counter, "Where is this Lucas Eardsley?" Isabel shrugged, "No one knows for sure, but it's been said that he is somewhere in the Adept Mountains." Raven rubbed her forehead, "And where are these Adept Mountains?" Isabel looked up, "Down the Cantanope Sea, past the Ria-chi forest, and near Wakati Village." Beast Boy covered his ears, "Too many names again..."

Raven sat on a stool; she had no idea where any of these places were, let alone if she could remember the names. "You'll need weapons, of course..." Isabel muttered. "Why is that?" asked Raven. "Because there are monsters and Portzillians out there, waiting for anything to come around. You need to defend yourselves." she answered. "We can defend ourselves fine." Raven told her. "By an estimate, about how long to you think it'll take to get there?"

Isabel put away some dishes, "Well a good guess would be about three to five days, depending on how fast your going and willing to go per day." "Three to five days!?" Beast Boy repeated, putting his head down. Isabel nodded slowly. "They need help, but perhaps they can aid us as well." she thought. She stopped her work and faced them, "If you must get there as soon as possible, I will take you there through the fastest routes, if it's not a bother carrying along an extra person."

Beast Boy's face lit up, "You'd do that?" Raven gave her a skeptical look, "Why?" Isabel leaned on the counter, "Because you need help, I need an adventure, and Lucas must be defeated! He will not give up that power freely anytime soon and you need it to go back home. He needs to be brought down before he kills us all." she answered sadly.

Raven nodded, "If you help us, we'll help you." Isabel smiled happily, "Wonderful! When do you plan to leave?" Beast Boy muttered, "As soon as whenever!" Isabel came out from behind the counter, "I'll just be a minute." She went into the back room and closed the door. Beast Boy grinned and looked at Raven, realizing that she had been watching him, "What?" "Well, out of all the girls you could have flirted with, at least this one can get us home." Beast Boy shook his hand, "It's called skill, my friend, skill!"

The door clicked and Isabel came out wearing a dark brown skirt and no sleeve blouse with bronze-metal ringlets attached where the openings for her arms and head were. Her belt was made with the same metal and her boots had buckle slits also made of the same material. She carried a sack that she filled with food and drink, plus a map. "All right, I'm set."

She led the way out the door, "Is there anything you need before we leave?" she asked. "The walk to the shore is a very long one and this is the only stop until we reach it." Beast Boy and Raven both shook their heads no and they headed off to their first obstacle, the Cantanope Sea.

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_The ShapeShifting Chick: I like this story. It brings out my imagination and I already wrote about Garoh. I love Garoh. I'm trusting you will too, but not after the sea trip. It's even better. Wait...maybe. It depends if you like a Pirates of the Caribean or monster movies like...Underworld or Van Helsing. Heheh, I'm giving too much info for a talk thing. And for this chapter, at least up to...31 reviews, please. Adios for now... _


	4. Out 2 Sea

**Out 2 Sea**

_TSSC: Howdy! Okay, I just really want to start up another story so I'll lay back on the demand for such and such reviews! I'm sure your all happy about that. (covers ears due to loud cheering) Ok well, I hope you like sea adventures because on to the sea we go! And read and review cus you know you want too! (does dance)_

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Beast Boy dragged his feet, "Are we near there yet?" Isabel glanced back at him, "We have yet an other hour." she answered. He moaned and covered his face pathetically. They had been walking for over two hours and plains were the only things viewable. "You can't tell me you're already tired from walking, green one!" she mocked dramatically. "No! It's just that..." His eyes traveled to Raven, "...just that Raven gets grumpy and tired, you know?" Raven ignored this comment and continued to follow Isabel's lead.

As she did, she watched the beautiful scenery pass by. "Everything's so...untouched." she said quietly. "Creatures have roamed these plains for over hundreds of years. It is only now that we start to mark these years." Isabel informed them both. "So...what year is it now?" asked Beast Boy, scratching his head in confusion. "I am sure it is not right, for there are much more years put into this planet, but it is our year 1042." she told him. Beast Boy glanced at Raven with a dead sweat, "You don't say..."

Isabel nodded to this statement and continued on. After an hour passed, they all began to see the water's edge. "Finally!" Beast Boy groaned happily, speeding up his slow pace. He caught up with Isabel, "That's not some kind of marage is it?" he asked, taking a deep breath. "Do not worry, it is not." she caringly told him with a reassuring hand.

"Good!" he said cheerfully, "I was getting ti-I mean _Raven_ was getting tired." Raven rolled her eyes and tapped Isabel on the shoulder, "This crossing will take how long?" "The rest of the day. Then we can settle down in Garoh after dark." Beast Boy's ears twitched at the sound of Garoh, "Isn't that where the animal people are?" Isabel nodded, "They are a very kind people, but most treat them as if they were cursed." Raven's eyes wandered to the ship that was barley visible, "I wonder why?" she thought.

While crossing a giant hill, Beast Boy leaned closer to Isabel and rubbed his wrist, "So, uh...I'm just wondering. Can I call you Izzy?" She turned her head in his direction and her hazel eyes investigated his face, "No one has ever called me that before, but yes, you may." The shape-shifter's eyes twinkled and he smiled.

They soon reached the docks, where sailors were resting and chatting, mainly about their adventures over seas, telling amazing stories that seemed as if they had come out of a storybook. The three travelers arrived at a docking post and a boy of sixteen years introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Jeremy. Are you in need of a boat?" His light blue hair was very messy and his icy sea eyes scanned all three of them. He wore torn shorts that proved he had been working hard lately and boots. His vest flapped in the breeze, for it had no buttons or anything to close it, giving the sailor some relief from his daily stresses.

"We need someone who can captain a ship across to Garoh." Isabel explained to him. "Oh, to Garoh you say? You're an adventurous bunch, aren't you?" he smirked, doubting what she had told him. "Do you have one or not?" Isabel asked coldly. Raven watched this with interest. She could tell he didn't believe them. "Yes, it leaves in fifteen minutes." He pointed his arm without looking, "Ask over there for Roberto Gibbs."

He went back to his work and they took off in that direction. "Um, Garoh doesn't have the best reputation, does it?" asked Beast Boy, glancing back at Jeremy. Isabel shook her head quietly. "It is rude to speak poorly of those you do not know." she lectured. They led themselves to a giant ship called The Darkened Mystery, passing more sailors on their way. An older man, with an odd looking creature on his shoulder resembling something of a dragon with two front legs and a long tail, blocked their path, "Who's business do ye have?" he grumbled in a booming voice.

"We need to get on the ship that is heading toward Garoh. Jeremy said we needed to ask for Roberto Gibbs." Raven explained, turning to where Jeremy was. "Ah, Roberto! I'll gettim for ye." The old man disappeared into the sea of workers and a man eighteen years of age came out and took the standing place of the old one. "You'll be the ones needing a ride then?" he asked in a smooth, gentle voice.

Both girls smiled, eyes sparkling, and Beast Boy blinked. Since no one had answered, Beast Boy nodded, "Yeah, that's us." "Very well. Follow me, please." he told in the same voice. As if by reaction, the girls did so in the exact step together, not too fast, not too slow. Beast Boy slapped his head, "They're like zombies!"

They climbed aboard the ship, as did other passengers, and looked all around. "I'll be your captain for this ship. If there are any problems, you can reach me in my cabin." Roberto told them. Raven and Isabel nodded and the captain left them. "Hey, he's gone. Is the spell broken?" Beast Boy joked. Raven looked at him, "Shut it now."

Beast Boy swept away quickly and walked around the deck. After a few minutes, the crew started yelling at each other, "Raise anchor!" He took a whiff of the salty air and looked down at the sea. The ship began to move and the shore slowly disappeared into the distance. "So, what do they do for fun around here?" he wondered, searching the deck, noting Raven and Isabel weren't around.

Since there was nothing to do on deck, the green one found a door that led to the second floor of the ship where the cabins were. He walked through the hallways, hearing the seasick riders give up their breakfast as he passed every other door. At the end of the hall, he saw a room to the side that had no door. In fact, it would need two doors in order to have privacy. "Maybe it's a kitchen or card room..." Beast Boy muttered, walking to it.

He gave a halt when he came close enough to hear some of the conversation going on inside the room. "And once we hit land, we'll slice their throats, all of 'em!" groaned someone. "No! There are people around the drop off, you idiot! If we attack when we make land, we won't have enough time to get away with the boat. Just close enough to the surface to dump all the stuff we don't need and I said no killing!" corrected another one.

"I'm not sure how they take care of things when you were young, but I am not going to have someone's blood on my hands. There are children on this boat, I've seen them, and you will not harm them or you'll wish you had never been born. Do you not remember why we're taking this ship?!" he continued, angrily. The annoyed one seemed to be the leader of what ever they were planning to do. "Because that's what pirates do?" his helper answered stupidly. "No! Because our people are starving and we need to bring them as much as we can. This ship should be there by sundown. Tell the men to be ready to attack five minutes before then. That's when we'll strike!" the leader ordered.

Beast Boy gulped, "An ambush!?" The men inside the open room stirred, "What was that?!" "Is someone out there?!" The two men ran to the hallway, and Beast Boy quickly changed into a tarantula and hid in a crack. "Must be hearing things..." "Hey! Why are you still here?! Go! Give them my orders!" yelled the leader.

Beast Boy waited for his chance, changed back, and ran to the surface of the ship. He was watching his back cautiously and nervously when he crashed into someone, making them both fall. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm just in a hur...Raven!" She looked at him, "Where have you been? Isabel and I have been looking for you all over the ship." Beast Boy shook his head and yanked her up, "Not everywhere...!" He dragged her to where there were a couple of barrels and no one to listen. Raven sat on a barrel and gave Beast Boy her everyday expression. "Where's Isabel?!" he asked, rashly.

"Well, we split to look for you...oh, over there." Beast Boy met Raven's glance and got Isabel. "What is troubling you, Beast Boy?" asked Isabel, rubbing her arm where he had pulled her. "Okay, I went downstairs to find something to do and I overheard two dudes saying that they were pirates and they're planning to take over the ship!" he told excitedly. "Pirates?" whispered Isabel.

Beast Boy gave a fast nod and continued his story, "They're going to hit five minutes before sundown. It sounded like they have a bunch of them waiting on the ship." Raven stood up, "We need to warn the captain and stop them." Isabel looked over her shoulder, "Do you have a plan?" Raven nodded, "And it just might work."

* * *

The leader of the pirates, Alex, had been worrying about his family. If he was caught, his people would die of starvation or worse. He hated stealing or hurting any innocents, but to save his wife and newborn, he would do anything. Alex was a Nirad, part of a clan who depended on a leader. _He_ was that leader and the one he knew as the Master of Darkness had destroyed his village entirely. Not one bit of food or animal was left after Lucas set everything to fire, leaving nothing but dust and ash.

Alex despised this monster of a human and wished so badly on cursed luck for him. His own child had almost burnt along with the crops and homes, had he not gone back in the burning hut and retrieved his crying baby. Because of that incident, his baby had a horrible cough that would last for fifteen minutes at a time. The baby's cough prevented him from breathing, so it was a tragic handicap.

Alex went up to the deck and watched the sky. Once the sun sank into the horizon, he would cue the others from his clan to ambush the sailors and passengers. They would take whatever they needed from the ship back to his village and let the others go once they reached it. Alex sighed and leaned his head back silently. "I wonder what Mia is doing right now..." he dreamed.

Raven stood by the cabin's entry door with Beast Boy nearby. Isabel was above with a sailor on captain's orders waiting with a trap. Alex waited and waited. The sun dipped into the sea slowly, bleeding oranges, pinks, and reds into the sea, making a marvelous view for a painter. He grimaced and opened the cabin door, taking a curious look at Raven before he entered. "Get ready." She told herself. "It's that one who's leading them."

It stayed quiet and the captain looked out his little window to see what was happening. Suddenly, the door burst open and about fifteen men or so flooded out with knives, running at the captain's door. "Oh, no you don't!" Isabel let go of the rope and a huge net fell directly on the men. More appeared out of nowhere, coming from every angle. "Azrath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven created two dark bubbles, each hand controlling one, five men in each, failing to get out. She bashed them into the wall a couple of times, and rammed them on the floor.

Three charged for Raven, holding their knives pointed at her. A green bull snorted and ran at full speed, knocking all three into a fishing net that hung off the side of the boat. Three more came from behind, but he kicked them into the mast, and one fell over board with a plunk. Isabel slid down one of the ropes. "Is that all of them?" Raven watched around, "Looks like it." Beast Boy leaned over the rail, "I'll be right back." He jumped in and went after the one who had fallen over.

Isabel picked up a knife with interest, "Why did they want to do this so harshly?" Beast Boy climbed over the rail and Raven helped him bring the unconscious man in. Isabel turned around to talk to them, but a shadow in the cabin entrance caught her attention. She ran after the person who was obviously trying to get away. "Raven! Izzy's after somebody!" Beast Boy yelled and ran after her while sailors tied up the attackers.

"Why did you do this? What was the reason for so much danger? Answer me!" The twosome followed the ring of Isabel's voice and found her in the room Beast Boy had first heard the two men talking in. She had cornered the man and held the knife in a threatening way. "Reminds me a little of Robin." Beast Boy told himself.

Isabel saw the two and lowered the weapon. "Leader of them all." she muttered. "Please, if you will let me explain I will go quietly." Alex pleaded. "Come with us." Raven ordered, walking to the stairs. He nodded and let himself be led by the girl in blue with the other two behind him.

By then, all the pirates had been retrieved and tied up. All weapons were confiscated, and all were quiet in their own sorrow. Alex sat on a barrel, next to his men and looked up. Raven crossed her arms, "Now, explain." "My name is Alex. I am a Nirad and leader of the Nirads. My decisions are the ones that go in my clan. Lucas Eardsley destroyed our village not too long ago. That monster almost burned my baby alive. My wife is guiding the ones who are over there right now. The men you have tied up before you are loyal warriors from my clan and our mission was to retrieve food for our dying families. Every grain of wheat, every newborn calf was taken away from all when he struck. We were not going to hurt anyone, I had ordered that. Our plan was to rob this ship of its goods and once we got back to our village, we would let everyone go." Alex explained sadly, heart-broken that he had failed.

"If you were not going to injure anyone, why did you carry weapons?" asked Isabel, lifting the knife. "Would you have taken us seriously if we had not carried them?" he tossed back. The two titans looked at each other. Isabel dropped the knife where all the others were and went back to the titans. "What are you going to do?" Alex asked Roberto. The captain rubbed his chin, "Well, first I must thank these young ones for protecting me and everyone else on my ship." He offered a hand and they all shook it. "Secondly, your story affects me in a way I cannot ignore. I, too, have been damaged by the Master of Darkness. I am familiar with many persons who can help your people, but this does not correct what you tried to do. You will be turned in."

Alex nodded understandingly. "The punishment is fitting for the crime." he said. His men agreed and stayed quiet. The captain put a comforting hand on Alex's shoulder, "Do not worry, we will relocate all the families to where you will be placed so you may see them and they will be taken care of." Alex gave a grateful smile, "Thank you."

One of the sailors yelled out, "Land captain! The shore is not too far!" The captain grabbed the wheel and drove the ship towards the docks. Beast Boy yawned and leaned his elbow on the rail, "Well that was fun." Raven nodded sarcastically, "Very." A few people, but not many, who had gotten on before emerged with their goods, waiting for the ship to dock.

"Thank you once again!" said Roberto, bowing in gratitude. "No problem, dude." said Beast Boy, who seemed to be the only one who could talk to the captain. "I must reward you." All three shook their heads, "Oh, no! We couldn't take anything." said Raven, quietly. "Helping you was reward enough." agreed Isabel, blushing. This made Beast Boy fume, "Okay, well we gotta go. Nice to meet you and all. Bye!"

"No! Please, I insist, wait here." The captain rushed into his cabin and the three glanced at each other. He came back holding a bag. "I have nothing of regular wear or items, but of battle tools and gear. Please forgive me." Beast Boy held his hands up, "Dude, you don't have to give us anything. It's okay!" But Roberto shook his head, "I will feel at most guilty knowing that I had not helped you the way you have me."


	5. The Gifts and Garoh

**The Gifts and Garoh**

He reached into the bag and pulled out a black vest, giving it to Beast Boy. "Try it on." said Roberto.

Beast Boy did as told. "How's it look?" he asked. Raven's eyes widened. "Well, if I could see you, I would have told you..." Beast Boy looked at her confused, "Huh?" He lifted his hands in front of his face, but that was the thing. He had no hands! Not any he could see anyway. "Dude! I'm invisible!" "Vest of Invisibility." explained the captain. "Sweet!" Beast Boy took it off and held on to it.

Roberto dug back into the back and pulled out what looked like a miniature treasure box. He gave it to Raven. "The Melody Music Box. Its purpose is to calm the mind and soul. Also, if you are in any danger, you turn the key." He pointed to a small key that was attached to the chest, "This feature forces the melody to hypnotize your foe, stunning them for a few minutes. Then when you are done, turn the key back and it plays the tune without the harm." Raven inspected the item, "Thank you very much!"

Lastly, he pulled out a hand-sized orb and gave it to Isabel, "The Orb of Worlds. You say any place you want to go and it automatically maps out the safest routes from where you are." Isabel smiled and nodded in thanks. They began to walk, "Good luck and travel safely!" waved the captain. The night sky lit their way to the road. After a while, they made a turn and went into the forest, "It was very kind of Roberto to give us gifts!" said Isabel, reddening at the thought. "I know. It was sweet of him..." agreed Raven, her hood hiding most of her blush.

"Uh! Oh my gosh! You think we should have gotten his autograph?!" Beast Boy mocked in a high pitched voice. He laughed while they grimly looked at him and continued their way to the closest town. His laugh was cut short by a screeching howl. The shape-shifter quickly made his way between the two girls and intertwined his arms into theirs, "W-what was that?" The trees hung over them in a dead twist as if to grab them off the ground. It began to get chilly and a soft wind passed through, making leaves fall and a changeling very uncomfortable.

"Stop acting like a baby. It's just a little wind blowing through the trees." Raven told him with no problem. "What about the darkness? This isn't normal darkness, Rae!" he squeaked, tightening his grip on their arms. "Afraid of the dark?" she smirked. "NO!" he yelled. His voice echoed throughout the forest sending chills down his spine. "Don't worry, we'll be there soon enough." comforted Isabel, looking around the path.

"..._a-a-and where'd the s-sky go_?!" asked Beast Boy in a barley audible whisper. Raven looked up and realized the stars had disappeared along with the moon. "The forest's canopy is probably covering it up." answered Raven calmly. A rustle passed behind them and Beast Boy closed his eyes and dropped to the floor, "I can't deal with this..." Raven rolled her eyes, "Beast Boy, we're in a forest. Animals live in the forest. You shouldn't be scared of a forest."

He opened his eyes and glared at her, "You're enjoying this aren't you? _Aren't you_?!" Isabel helped Beast Boy to his feet, "Look we need to get there before something happens. This forest isn't entirely..." she left off. "Normal?" Beast Boy muttered. Isabel gave him a cautious look and he reattached himself to her arm. "_Shh-hhh-hhh_..."

Isabel turned her head, "Maybe we should...hurry?" Raven sighed, "Imagination running wild..." They walked in a quicker pace and Raven began to pull away from Beast Boy, "Look, you're cutting off my circulation. Let me go!" He let her go with a twitch and hugged Isabel's arm. Raven looked at them and smirked, "You two look like you're going through a haunted house." Isabel raised an eyebrow, "Haunted house?" "A house people set up to make it scary." Beast Boy explained. "Well this place is pretty creepy..."

"For the _last_ time! It's only a forest!" Raven repeated. At the exact same moment, something grabbed Raven's legs and dragged her into the forests' depths. "RAVEN!" Beast Boy and Isabel ran after her but she was gone. "R-Raven?" Beast Boy called. Silence answered back. "We need to find her! Even if we don't make it to Garoh tonight!" said Isabel. Beast Boy shuttered, but nodded in agreement. His friend was more important than where they would stay that night.

"Raven?! Raven?! Raven?!" They called over and over, but the only reply was the quiet, eerie wind. "You think she's okay?" Beast Boy asked Isabel, worriedly. She looked at him with emptiness in her eyes. He covered his face, "...Oh man.....I gave her that stupid rock...why couldn't I have gotten her something normal?!..." Isabel watched him drown in his own sadness.

"I can't go back home without Raven! What am I gonna do?" his guilt rose. Isabel placed her hand in his and smiled gently. "We're going to find her! Don't worry...we'll find her..." she crooned. "Uhhhhh..." came something from the heart of the forest. Beast Boy looked at Isabel, "What was..." They followed the moan. Nothing but darkness, and a dim light in the shadows.

"Where's that light coming from?" wondered Beast Boy, squinting. Quietly, they tiptoed to the light and gasped. Raven was tied up, after being brutally banged up and knocked unconscious, and was in the middle of giant spider web. "Whoa..." Beast Boy muttered. "Raven! Wake up! Raven!" he called, but she was out cold. "B-B-Beast Boy?!" Isabel tapped his shoulder. "Hang on, Izzy, I'm going to try to get her outta that thing."

"I'm sure the giant spider won't appreciate you taking his dinner!" Beast Boy froze and turned slowly seeing a gigantic eight foot spider rising and clicking its fangs angrily at him. "Uh...hey there..." he said weakly. It screeched horribly and lunged for him, but another creature attacked it and climbed on the spider's back, trying to kill it. Isabel and Beast Boy stood in shock as they watched the show of their hero and the monster do combat against each other until the thing wacked the spider hard enough on the head, knocking it out.

"You're not safe here, what are you doing?" a soft voice asked. "Trying to get our friend out of this thing!" said Beast Boy, changing into a pterodactyl and pulling Raven free from the web's stick. He picked her up and looked around, trying to see the speaker. "We must get to Garoh as quickly as possible!" said Isabel, glancing at Raven's limp body in Beast Boy's arms.

"Garoh?" the voice repeated. "Give me the girl, I can take her there faster. You two follow the regular route." Beast Boy squinted, "Where are you?" The speaker stepped into the light, revealing himself. He had pointed ears and sharp fangs. His nails were more claws but not very long. He had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. "Quickly." Beast Boy handed Raven over and the man disappeared into the forest.

"Regular route? Where's that?" asked Beast Boy. Isabel pulled out her orb, "Garoh." she told it. A map with arrows appeared and she led him until they came to cliffs. She put the orb away, "Alright, Garoh is in the cliff. We need to climb." The two looked to the side and saw ladder ropes hanging. "Solves our problem." said Beast Boy. "You first." Isabel ordered. Beast Boy gave her a curious look, "Uhh?" She crossed her arms, "I'm wearing a skirt."

"Oh! Heheh..." he blushed and grinned as he began climbing the weary ropes. "I have a bad feeling these ropes are going to snap!" he muttered. "Don't say things like that!" hissed Isabel from below. Beast Boy stepped onto the ledge where the rope ladder was tied up to and helped Isabel. "Now what?" he muttered, looking around. "It cannot be dead end!" Isabel sighed, discouraged. Beast Boy leaned on a grass-covered rock in disappointment and the rock moved, revealing a narrow tunnel in the rock.

They went into it and the rock moved itself back into place. "Freaky..." Beast Boy looked over his shoulder. At the end of the tunnel was another rope ladder. They both climbed it, out of the sky hole and onto another ledge. Beast Boy stood by the edge and glanced down. All he could see were the tops of trees. "Let's go." Isabel pulled him.

They went through a pass, which closed up after going through. "Not much of the entertaining type." Beast Boy mumbled. "There's the gate." Isabel pointed. A large wooden gate with some kind of toll box that was empty lay before them. Beast Boy glanced around. Now that the trees were gone, he could see the moon and stars perfectly. He had never seen the moon that big before. Along side the gate was a small lake, reflecting the moon's light.

Isabel went to the small stand and called, "Hello? Anyone here?" "The thing's empty, Izzy." Beast Boy told her. "Hey what if I pull this?" He grabbed a lever that was inside the both and tugged, opening the wooden gate. "Cool!" They watched their backs and entered into Garoh.

A tall stranger wearing a brown robe with a hood, hiding his face, stood up to them, "You're friend is healing well. She is in the hut nearest to the water pump." he explained. "Thank you." they both answered and went to the hut. Raven was resting on the opposite side of the entrance. A short woman with kind eyes who was sitting next to Raven stood up when the two entered. "You are friends of hers?" she asked in a quiet tone.

"Yeah." answered Beast Boy. "She is very lucky to have been traveling with friends. Isaac would have never known she was there until he heard voices." the woman told them. "Mmm..." Raven's fingers curled in and she slowly opened her eyes, "Where am I?" she mumbled. "It is all right, you are safe now, child." The lady explained, raising the sheets to Raven's chin.

"We're in Garoh, Raven." said Isabel. "What happened?" she turned her head, half her face in the pillow. "Oh, you know, the itty bitty forest had an itty bitty, not so scary, bug that almost ate you." Beast Boy uttered under his breath. Isabel stepped on his foot and he quickly stopped.

Someone opened the door and looked at everyone. He pulled down his hood and smiled, "Checking if you made it." Beast Boy scratched his head, "Dude, where'd your teeth and ears go?" The man smiled, "They vanish when the moonlight isn't in reach of me." Beast Boy blinked, "So...the moon does this to you?" The man nodded, "Yes, but we're used to it. Others think we are cursed, but I think of it as a gift. Being normal cannot defeat the monsters of our woods."

"Cool!" he said, "This place gives you a full beam of moonlight shine." The woman next to Raven nodded, "Here in Garoh, it is always night." "Always?" Beast Boy repeated. "Always."

"What encourages you to such dangerous travels?" asked Isaac. "We're trying to get to the Adept Mountains..." Raven informed him. "Do you not realize you will provoke the Master of Darkness?" he asked worried for their safety. "We are going there to defeat him." told Isabel. "You are but children!" Isaac disapproved, "You should not enter his hideout."

"He has something of mine and we need it back." breathed Raven. "Is it that stone he wears?" asked the woman beside her. Raven nodded weakly. "You are not of this world?" asked the woman, her eyes scanning Raven. "This is Earth?" asked Beast Boy. Isaac nodded. "Then we're from the same planet, just not the same time period." The woman stood and poured some tea for Raven. "She should be fully healed in the morning, dears. Go to the inn and tell the keeper Edna has sent you to stay."

Isabel bowed respectfully, "Thank you." The two left their friend and went outside. Every hut looked the same. "Which is the inn?" muttered Beast Boy looking around. A soft eerie wind passed through, making almost a sad, depressing tune of the life the people lived. "I kind of feel bad for the Lathurians..." pitied Beast Boy. "They do not receive much respect from others." agreed Isabel sadly. "Why are they wearing hoods though?" Beast Boy whispered as one pasted them.

"They are ashamed when humans come because their powers are different than all and only they posses it. You have already seen the way others talk of them." Isabel answered. They walked up to a hooded figure and asked him where the inn was. He silently pointed to a hut, pulled away by the rest, and nodded. "Thanks." said Beast Boy.

The shape-shifter opened the door and Isabel walked in. The place had candles in each window, there were no lights. "So I'm guessing no radios or TVs huh?" Beast Boy muttered. Isabel gave him a confused look and he smiled, "From my world." They made their way to the front desk, which wasn't hard considering there were no other people besides them. "Good evening to you both." greeted the innkeeper. They smiled and Beast Boy rubbed his neck, "Uh, Edna said we could stay..."

The innkeeper's expression softened, "You must be the friends of the injured girl." The two exchanged glances. "News spreads fast here." Beast Boy mumbled. "Garoh is not a very big town, my boy. Only a few of us here, all born and raised." said the innkeeper, leading them to the back of the hut. He opened two doors, one on each side of a small hallway. "Both rooms are the same. You are old enough to pick your own." And with that, he went back to the front desk.

Beast Boy looked at one of the rooms, they were small, yet roomy and a very large and comfortable looking bed was in the middle. Under the bed was a large carpet, hand made naturally with the softest care ever. Above the bed was another carpet, but hanging as a picture; a wolf. "Makes sence." said Beast Boy. "So after this, how many more nights till we get there?" he asked Isabel.

"We get through the rest of Ria-chi Forest...and then the...Wakati...Village...then..." she drove off. Beast Boy looked at her. She was dozing off against the wall and was about to fall over. Beast Boy caught her, "To much today?" She mumbled something, but he couldn't understand. Shrugging, he placed her in her room and pulled the covers over her as she shivered because of the winds blowing in through her window. He smiled for a moment, admiring the girl's desire to help him, his friend, and apparently everyone who was suffering due to the Master of Darkness.

The green boy closed her door and wished her a good night. In his own room, he only imagined what would happen the next day. Raven was almost a meal for a giant spider that day, what dangers held in tomorrow? All of this and more swirled in the shape-shifter's mind, causing him to drift into a wave of slumber with not so pleasant dreams.

* * *

**TSSC**: _Ok the Beast Boy girl voice thing, I was just cracking up while typing that. I couldn't help it. I'm just a thinker like that! YAY for me, another chapter done and I just finished another story. Not this one though! Heheh, this one got a few more to waste hours of my life just thinking out my imagination when I could be studying for a nice global test or something that would make my blood pressure shoot through the roof. I guess I'll stay on writing fics. Review please. Those help me to write a lot more. And for those who loved Roberto so, I love him too! (holds up 'I heart Roberto' and 'I heart Beast Boy' signs) Yippie!_


	6. A Walk Through The Forest and Wakati Vil...

**A Walk through the Forest and Wakati Village**

"Izzy? Izzy!" The young girl opened her eyes, groggily. "What?"

"Wake up."

She sat up and rubbed an eye. She hadn't fully focused on anything until she remembered she was in Garoh. Her eyes traveled to the window and she saw the darkness of midnight. "It's always night." Beast Boy whispered. She nodded and got up, "We must get Raven." "They're waking her right now."

The two left the inn, and went into Raven's hut. She was already sitting up drinking some tea the woman who had been taking care of her made. When she drank the last drop, she returned the cup. "Thank you for your hospitality. I wouldn't have made it without your help."

Edna shook her head, "Oh no, do not thank me, child. Thank your friends. Their dedication to you helped more than I could." Raven watched as the woman washed the cup and some other dishes with a water pump and a giant pan. "If there's anything I can do to repay you..." Edna turned, eyes sensed with heartbreaking tears, "If you could only tell those who hate us so much that we are not at all as bad as they make us sound..."

Raven placed her hand on the woman's shoulder, "I will." "Thank you, child." The woman cleared her tears with a cloth. "Now, you are going through the forest, you'll need some things." The door opened and Raven's rescuer entered in. "Leaving already?" he asked. The trio nodded and he accepted.

Edna gave them a bag. "I believe you will need this to get through the forest. I packed food for all and some extra blankets. Drinks are on the bottom and remember to drink some tea later on tonight." she advised Raven. Beast Boy took the bag, "Thanks, we'll need this." Isabel checked the weight of the bag, "You have given us so much!" Isaac smiled, "Mother always watches out for others as if they were her own." Edna dusted them all off, "Keep from cold and we hope your journey successes."

They waved goodbye, Edna a tearful one, and left through the back of Garoh. More people emerged once they passed the gate, but to wave at them and cheer them one. "I can't believe people think they're bad!" Beast Boy said in shock once they were a good distance from Garoh. He had broken the silence of thought they were all sharing quietly. But what he said was the truth.

"That is why I favor Lathurians over other groups, tribes, and clans. They do not judge a person by their looks, race, or traditions, but by their soul." said Isabel. Raven nodded. Those people had helped her to recovery, possibly saving her life. No matter what she would hear, she knew they were good-hearted _people_.

"How long to this village anyway?" Beast Boy huffed, after five hours of hiking. "We are going to spend the night in this forest." said Isabel. Raven looked around. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Isabel glanced at Raven expressionless, "It is not, but there is no other way to get to the village."

In her own mind, Raven took back about what she said about the forest. There were dangerous things here, just waiting for food to come along. The farther they walked, the clearer the sky became until finally they had a little sunlight. "So how do they know when it's day?" Beast Boy asked Isabel. "They follow the patterns of the moon." she explained, pointing to the sky.

Beast Boy nodded. As they crossed a small river, Isabel stumbled and fell. Raven took one hand as Beast Boy took the other. "Are you okay?" Raven asked. "Yes...I tripped over...this." Isabel bent down and picked up a strangely shaped arrow. Beast Boy inspected it. "What is it?"

"Skellpers..." she whispered barley audible. "What?" Raven asked. "Evil creatures that live in this forest. They enter the body as a spirit and come out a duplicate, taking the form of the unfortunate and the memory they had an hour before." Isabel took the weapon and put it into the bag. Beast Boy rubbed his head, "Uhh...sure!" Isabel watched around, "We must be careful. It is most difficult to tell apart the person from the beast."

Beast Boy made a slight cough and Isabel smiled, "I mean the monster." They traveled through bushes, snags, and a giant landfill. Beast Boy sniffed the air, "Gross." "Well, I am positive garbage does not have a good scent." laughed Isabel. "Where does all of this come from?" asked Raven, eyes scanning up until she saw the top. "Visitors who pass these parts throw their unnecessary items here. Not a very pleasant sight, but it is a useful spot." explained Isabel.

She took a step forward and the ground beneath her began to crumble, but she didn't notice. Beast Boy stared at the pile with his head tilted a bit. "What are you doing?" asked Raven, watching him. "Well, you always told me to look at things from a different view other than mine so this garbage could be like...art! With the yellows and the...smell...and the...grandness?" he went on and on. "I mean from another person's perspective, not garbage." Raven moaned.

Beast Boy shrugged, "Oh." Isabel took another step forward, "We need to continue moving if you wish to get to Wakati Village by-" her sentence ended in a rather cut off way. "By what?" the shape-shifter turned. "Izzy?" Raven twisted her head around. "Isabel?"

Where the girl stood was a trap and inside was a pit of darkness. Beast Boy looked into the hole in horror, "Isssabeeell!" There was no answer, only his echo. "Saaaa-beell...saaaa-beell...." "We need to go down." Raven announced. "But we don't know where this thing leads!" Beast Boy said, worriedly. "Where ever it does, that's were Isabel is, and we need to go now." answered Raven. Beast Boy quickly nodded and jumped after Raven.

Eventually, they hit ground, hard. "Ruhhh..." Raven mumbled. "Ow." said Beast Boy, rubbing his back. "Now where are we?"

It was dank with little light, but on their far left, they saw a body lying unconsciously. "Isabel!" they both ran over, but the body disappeared. Beast Boy rubbed his eyes, "Am I seeing things?" Raven shook her head, "Normally I would say yes, but I saw this one too." Beast Boy gave her a grim look and sighed. He realized it was a large cave they were in. But their friend wasn't in it. "You think she could have walked into one of the tunnels?" asked Beast Boy.

"It's possible. We didn't get knocked out or anything..." agreed Raven. "Help me..." a soft voice yelped. Beast Boy jerked his head in both directions, "So I'm hearing things too?" "Help me..." it begged again. Beast Boy hid behind Raven's cloak and shivered, "Please tell me I'm not hearing things...I'm afraid of things..." Raven pulled her cloak away from him and walked forward. "We need to follow that cry, it sounds like..." Beast Boy sniffed, "...I know; that's what I'm afraid of..."

They slowly made their way into one of the tunnels, the closest one the voice was echoing from. This one led into another large room-like cave. There was another body, moving slightly. Beast was about to run to it, but Raven held her arm out, stopping him. Something's not right here." she whispered. "But what if it's Isabel?" Beast Boy pressured. Raven glanced at him with her violet eyes, "What of it's not?"

Beast Boy stood there, hoping it wasn't his friend, for the person looked gravely injured. The person sat up and looked at them. "It is Isabel!" Beast Boy said happily. The girl smiled, but her eyes glowed. Raven stared at her as the girl's teeth grew strangely sharp and laughed an eerie jingle that echoed throughout the cave, sending chills down Beast Boy's spine.

Suddenly, thirty or more of the same Isabel look-alikes popped into the room with a white mist. "Which one of us is the real one?" moaned a creature, rubbing her head. "See if you can tell..." most of them cried. "It's me!" screamed one. "No! I'm over here!" came from the other side of the cave. The two titans looked at each other. How were they going to solve this one? "Skellpers..." muttered Raven, remembering Isabel's words.

Beast Boy scratched his head and looked at each, trying to see if he could tell the real one apart from the fakes. Raven crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Isabel?"

"Yes?" they all answered.

"Who saved me when we were in the forest?"

There was a light murmur of suggestions as they threw answers at her, all wrong. As each one answered wrong, Raven blasted them with black energy and they exploded into a black spirit that would disappear with a grin. Soon the room was empty. "She was never here!" Beast Boy sighed, ears drooping.

"Ra-ven? Bea-st Bo-y!"

The two spun around in fighting positions. With the tiny bit of light they had, they saw a shadow becoming larger as the thing came closer. The girl looked into the large cave from the tunnel, "I thought I heard you!" They kept their positions and Isabel stared at them. She slowly backed away, with a problem solving look in her eye.

Raven lifted her glowing hand, "Who saved me when we were in the forest?" Isabel answered normally, "The Lathurian, Issac." Beast Boy smiled, thrilled, "It's her!" Raven lowered her arm, "Finally."

Isabel shrugged, "I have been trying to find a way out of here. I heard your voices..." Raven nodded, "Yes, we had a nice encounter with skellpers." Isabel sighed, "This is one of their traps. And I fell into it." Beast Boy began walking to where they had fallen from, "Well, now we found you, let's get outta here!" The girls nodded and joined him.

Once out, they continued walking down the narrow path until they met nightfall. "Forests are creepy at night..." the changeling whispered. Raven said nothing, not wanting to jinx their adventure anymore. The crunching leaves created a beat to the wind of the trees blowing, stretching over and howling of animals. Their shadow's followed closely, as they kept close to each other, walking as quickly as they could with the least noise possible.

"We should make camp soon?" asked Raven, glancing at a spacey area ahead of them. "Good idea." agreed Isabel, following Raven's lead. "Wait up!" hissed Beast Boy, pacing quickly. Beast Boy morphed into a bear, pushing fallen tree remains out of their camp area while Raven and Isabel unraveled the bag that Edna had given them. "So...who's gonna get the wood?" asked Beast Boy. Both girls stared at him. "Aww..." he moaned, trudging into the woods.

He soon returned with a gorilla's armful of flammable sticks and they had a fire going shortly after. Raven took out a bundle of wrapped leaves and a cup from the bag she was digging through, "I need water..." Beast Boy's attention on the fire loosened, "There was a spring that way." he pointed in a northern direction. "I'll be back then." she announced, getting up. "Be careful." warned Isabel. Raven left and Beast Boy took out the blankets and looked at them curiously. He felt the warmth of the blankets on his hands already, but they were incredibly thin.

"This place is so weird..." he muttered with a smile. "You mean different." a soft voice corrected from the other side of the fire. The shape-shifter looked up and grinned sheepishly, "Yeah. Sorry." "What is so different about this world from yours?" she asked quietly. "Ah, you don't want to hear about that." he waved. "Please?" she asked in such a way he couldn't say no. He sat next to her and gave her a blanket, "Well...we have electricity for one thing. Electronics...and take out." She tilted her head to the side, confused. "Do you miss them?" she asked.

"Well, I guess. I've been without TV for two days, I'm thinking I'm okay." he smiled. "You're home sounds interesting. You are probably bored with here." she murmured. "You kidding? This place is awesome! You have all kinds of things happening here with bad guys, unusual people, travel and everything! And you just take it into your own hands if you feel something's wrong. Back at home, we have to be on edge all day." he explained slowly.

"But, that is what stands you out from others, correct?" she asked kindly. He shrugged, "Whatever I gotta do, I'll do plus more. Weekends, too!" Isabel smiled, "You must be the strangest creature I have ever met." He glanced at her and noticed her hazel eyes were shimmering with the fire. Wrapped in the blanket, she looked fragile but held together. The yellow-red glow from the flame made his green seem more orange and his hair even darker.

They sat in silence, listening to the fire crackle and pop with the twigs Beast Boy had thrown in. The changeling felt his arm brush against the girl and momentarily looked to the side. Isabel had moved closer and so had he. She knew he was watching her and so she did the same. They gazed at each other and felt the heat rise to their cheeks. As they wanted to avoid each other, they couldn't, so they gave into the pull. Slowly they neared each other, able to study the other's features, and as their lips barely touched, there was a snap of a twig and they looked back.

"Sent me down the wrong way, Beast Boy. If you're going to give directions, make sure they're correct." Raven huffed, holding the cupful of water. He nodded, "Sorry." She began making her tea and noticed how quiet they were. "I missed something." she figured, sipping her drink. A small grumble moaned out of Isabel's stomach and she rubbed her eyes. Beast Boy mined out the fruit from the bag and tossed one to her.

The fruit was foreign to the titans, but to Isabel, it was quite common. At least for Lathurians. She bit into it and the fruit oozed a reddish liquid that she drank. "It's very healthy." she told them, taking another bite, "And reenergizing." Raven took one and so did Beast Boy. When they were full, Beast Boy glanced at the diminutive fire. He tossed the last bit of wood into it. That would last them another hour or so.

"We need more for the night, though." he muttered, looking up. Across, he saw Raven watching him, giving an informative nod. He sighed, "Alright, since you asked so kindly." He stood and stretched, ears twitching. The green boy entered into the forest, pushing branches out of his way, trying to find the best ones that would last them until morning.

He continued to the darkest circle, where far away in the sky, the moon was barely shown. "Why do I have to do everything?" he muttered, picking a few wooden masses up and placing them snuggly under his arm. He suddenly felt as if he had jumped into a pool in the middle of the coldest day during winter. His eye twitched and he tried to yell, but couldn't talk. There was a thud and the wood lay scattered.

&&&

"About what time will we reach the mountains?" asked Raven, drinking the last of her tea. "Noon, if we wake early enough. You will be able to return home by sunset." answered Isabel, feeling a little sad that she would lose her new friends soon. "We would've never gotten this far if it wasn't for your help. Thank you." said Raven, spreading out her blanket. "Please, we haven't even gotten there yet." smiled Isabel, taking a deep breath.

A rustle near Raven interrupted the conversation. The green one, holding the wood, stepped over Raven's blanket and placed the logs and sticks near the fire. Tossing one in, he sat next to Isabel and smiled. "No problems?" asked Raven. "Nope." he shook his head.

"Good, we don't need anymore 'exciting' events for today." she muttered, sitting on her blanket. "Well, good night." "Night." returned Beast Boy and Isabel. It was soon quiet again. With Raven fast asleep, Isabel decided to sleep too. Beast Boy stared at her. She looked at him, but...something just wasn't right. His eyes...something about his eyes. "Beast Boy?"

"Yeah?" he asked. He smiled in a caring way, wanting to make her feel better if she was sensing insecurity. "Nothing. Good night." "Night." he replied and set his own 'bed'. Soon enough, the fire died down and the sun rose high in the sky. Birds began singing, waking Raven. She stretched and rolled her blanket up. The scratching of leaves woke Isabel and she did the same. Beast Boy stayed sleeping a light snore and cuddled up on his mat.

"Where was the spring?" asked Isabel in a soft voice, not wanting to wake her friend. "Over there." pointed Raven, "Just make a right turn when you see this big boulder." Isabel nodded and followed the instructions. She cupped her hands and splashed her face with the cool water, waking herself. A light tap on her shoulder paused her actions and she turned. "Were you guys gonna leave without me?"

There stood Beast Boy, yawning and his hair was messy. His face was a little pale and his clothes had traces of leaves and dirt. "Did you fall?" asked Isabel, knowing he was in no such condition when she had left him with Raven. "Yeah..." He washed his face and cleaned the front of his uniform, dusting himself off. "What time is it?" he asked groggily. "Morning." Isabel answered, drying her face.

He looked at her confused and followed back to the camp. "Morning? I must've not noticed..." he whispered to himself. He held the last branch back for Isabel and she stepped into the camp. He went on and froze, as Isabel did, looking at a double sleeping on the mat. "When are we go-" Raven glanced up and dropped the bag, looking back from the sleeping Beast Boy to the one standing with Isabel.

Raven and Isabel looked at each other quickly and moved fast. Raven picked up the sleeping Beast Boy and pinned him to the ground with her powers, waking him. Isabel had the other one against a tree, holding a knife she had kept from the pirate attack closely to his throat. "Izzy! It's me!" he gulped, breaking into a dead sweat. "Raven! Let me go!" cried the other one, unable to break free from her hold.

"One of them is a skellper." thought Raven, "be careful of what you ask them." "Look," she started, "I'm in no mood to be dealing with this. We need to get to that village!" "Izzy, you know me! Please! You gotta believe me!" he pleaded. She held the weapon closer, but felt guilty. "Beast Boy?" Raven called. "Yes?" both answered. She felt asking the same question she had done before would be appropriate. "Who saved me in the forest?"

"Isaac." they both answered. "Not good." thought Isabel, growing tired of holding her position. "What did we send you into the woods for?" she tried again. "To get wood." they replied. Raven felt her frustration grow. Isabel asked, "Why are we going to the Wakati Village?"

Raven's Beast Boy stayed quiet. "To go to the Adept Mountains to get Raven's stone back and to stop that Lucas guy!" Isabel's Beast Boy answered. "Good bye." Raven smirked, and concentrated her energy on the duplicate. In a grunt, she released her aggravation onto the fake and exploded him. Limbs and other things flew around them, transforming into wood once they touched the ground. A black spirit floated in front of them with a wicked grin. "Very good." it hissed and disappeared as mist.

Isabel dropped the knife and hugged Beast Boy. "Not that this wasn't a blast, but can we go now?" muttered Raven after she regained her normal status. "Yes." Isabel answered, letting go of Beast Boy. "Sure..." agreed Beast Boy goofily. "No more interruptions!" sighed Raven, walking ahead. The day edged ahead, leading them to the quiet village of Wakati.

* * *

**_Author's Note: This is one long chapter. Sorry it's taken so long. Only two more chapters to go so it's not so bad! Sorry on the late update and review!_**


	7. The Master of Darkness

**The Master of Darkness**

Isabel opened the wooden gate and they entered into the small village. A small boy approached them, "Are you the chosen ones?"

"Chosen ones?" repeated Raven. She looked up as villagers came out from their homes, markets, and work to see them. "It is they!" they whispered to each other excitedly. "You are to stop the Master of Darkness." the boy clarified, taking Raven's hand. "We hope to." she said tenderly. The boy's expression lifted into a smile and he led them to an older man. "Grandpa! It's them! They are here!"

The old man, who was sitting under the shade of a palm-cabana, nodded. He stood up with the help of his cane and bowed, "We are honored to have you pass this way." "It's nothing, really." replied Beast Boy. "Oh, but it is. It so very is." whispered the old man. "I am the elder of this village. Word has been said that three young youths had been traveling from Vale in order to end the works of the Master of Darkness. As care taker of this small community, I must inform you that this is a very dangerous task, but knowing how the young think, these words will not mean much."

The three listened attentively. "You must be at most alert when you climb the mountain. There are Portzillians in every space available and all else. His lair is protected and he does not intend to be invaded by children." the elder warned, shaking a wrinkled finger at them as of scolding. "When do you mean to leave?"

"Right now." answered Raven. "Very well. If any of you should get injured, you may rest here. We have excellent healing aids." "Thank you." they replied and began walking to the end of the village with everyone following them. The little boy ran up to them, "Take these with you. They will be of help." He gave them oddly shaped white flowers. "Um, thanks?" thanked Beast Boy, picking on up and looking at it. "They can heal minor damage if you eat them." the boy explained.

"We can use all the help we can get." said Beast Boy, noticing the large mountain ahead of the village. "Now why didn't I see that before?" he wondered. The mountain's top was unsure of because it disappeared into the clouds above and beyond. There was some snow near the touch of the sky and a small river flowed from it.

They waved to the villagers who cheered them on as did the Lathurians and continued their way to the mountain. "If it's only one, why is it called the Adept _Mountains_?" asked Beast Boy, pointing to the large formation. "There are more mountains along the back of it, we just can't see them." answered Isabel, leading them to the base of the mountain. After an hour or so, they reached the bottom. It was covered with trees. A miniature forest to remind them of their past misadventure.

"Are there skellpers in this one?" asked the edgy changeling. "No, they never live near civilization." said Isabel, climbing over a rock, "Besides, I am sure they are afraid of Lucas also."

They climbed the side of the mountain, which was more hill and rock than anything and met an unnecessary surprise. Ten Portzillans came forth and attacked them. Raven flung three over the cliff she was on and their screams continued into an echo. One took out a black whip and whispered, making it glow a strange black fume. He cracked it at Isabel, who dodged in time and then at Beast Boy. It caught his arm and he pulled the boy to him with an evil smile.

Isabel took out her knife and sliced the whip's hold, splitting it in half and releasing Beast Boy. Beast Boy grinned and shaped into kangaroo, leaning on his tail and kicking the man harshly over the edge. Raven fought off three more and Isabel knocked another out. Beast Boy led the last ones to fighting each other until there were no more. "Very nice welcome wagon." Raven said with sarcasm freezing out of her voice.

"Where could they have come from?" she wondered, looking over at the side where they had been standing. A dirt covered handle stuck out from fresh soil. "They were covering the entrance." said Raven, pulling on the handle. "We found it?" asked Beast Boy, helping her out. No luck. Beast Boy tugged the handle, Isabel tugged him, and Raven tugged her, all in a line. The door cracked open, covering them with earth, and revealed a tunnel.

"Sweet! No guards!" smiled Beast Boy, dusting himself off. A sudden bunch of watchers came out at them, ready to attack. "And why did you say that?" asked Raven, hands glowing. Beast Boy shrugged, "Because I, uh, you know, was in the mood to…fight!" he said, transforming into tiger and began clawing the enemies.

Raven gathered half of them into an electrocuted ball of power and flung them off to the other side of the mountain. Soon enough, they were through them all. "Whoo! Whatta workout! We better get time off from this when we get home!" whined Beast Boy, taking in an actual breath. "Beast Boy, we haven't even gotten to the threat yet." said Raven, rolling her eyes.

Beast Boy grimly looked to the side, waiting for Isabel's comment. None came. "Izzy?" He turned, realizing she was gone. "Isabel?!" Raven twisted herself to see what was going on. "Where is she?!" she asked, looking around. "I don't know! She's just gone!" he answered nervously.

After a few moments, Beast Boy sat at the edge of the cliff. His throat felt tight and dry, and his chest felt as if it had caved in. "Now what, Raven?" he croaked, hanging his head.

"We need to continue."

"What!?"

"You heard me. We need to go."

"But what about…"

"Can you see her anywhere?"

Beast Boy glanced up, heartbroken. How could Raven be so cruel? So forgetting? He sighed and hung his head again, looking at the cliff below. His eyes widened, "YES!" Raven looked at him in shock, "You do? Where?!" Raven was left answerless as Beast Boy had already began to descend.

"Izzy? Are you okay?" He kneeled by her side and prayed for an answer from her. Her face was pale and her hands were cold. Raven appeared on the other side of the body. "She's still living; you need to get her back to the village." He searched through his pocket, "What about these flower things?" She shook her head, "Does it look like she can eat them?"

Beast Boy looked at Raven, "Then what about you?" Raven closed her eyes as a portal created under her, "I'll find the way in. Go." Beast Boy shifted into a pterodactyl, picking up Isabel with his feet as Raven sank into the ground. Beast Boy zoomed as fast as he could without dropping the unconscious girl. He soon saw the same little boy waiting at the gate. "What happened?" he asked as Beast Boy landed, shifting back to normal with Isabel in his arms.

"She needs help!"

"Follow me!"

Beast Boy was led into a clay-made house with beds all around on the inside. The sun shined through the opening in the wall on the flowers placed a blue clay vase. A young girl about the age of twelve answered to them, "May I be of any help?" The small boy pointed to the girl that Beast Boy was placing on a random bed. The girl took her temperature and her expression became a thoughtful one. "Oh!" she exclaimed, pressing down on Isabel's leg.

The resting girl's eyes suddenly opened, filled with pain. "Her leg is injured, she must stay here." explained the younger girl and she went her way to retrieve things for her patent. Isabel glanced out the window, smiling, "It is up to you and Raven to save us all." "You're going to be okay here?" the shape shifter asked. Isabel nodded and sat up, "Yes, do not worry about me. I am safe here."

He nodded and grinned. "Now go, you are needed elsewhere." she dismissed, giving him a light kiss on his cheek. Beast Boy's face rushed a shade of red as he backed to the door, "Uh…I-I, yeah, um…g-gotta…y-you know!" Isabel watched through the window as Beast Boy ran, swiftly changing into a hawk and flew off, "Good luck, my warrior."

&&&

Beast Boy squawked as he flew, his eyesight increasingly better for spotting anything below him, but couldn't see Raven. He landed where the door entrance was and switched into a mouse, scurrying in quickly. "Where could she be?" he wondered, sniffing the air. It smelled of must and mold. "This place needs a definite air freshener!" he thought, scrunching his little wet nose.

He ducked as two more of those Portzillian goons passed by, talking in a different language. "_Beast Boy, make a right and continue down the length of the tunnel until you see a large room. I'm on the left coming in._" The mouse's head jerked from left to right and realized it was Raven sending a message to him. He turned right and hurried down the hallway, luckily not meeting anyone on the way. He entered the room and saw that there was no one there.

Feeling it was safe, he morphed normally, "Raven?" he whispered. She came out in a floating position, "Finally, you took your time, hm?" He thought of Isabel and blushed with a smile, "Heheh…" Raven ignored this and gave a nod to a door not noticeable when coming in, "Look at this."

Beast Boy looked at the door and then at her, "What's inside?" "Not sure, I was waiting for you just in case of needed backup." "Oh…" said Beast Boy grimly. As he opened the door, his eyes widened, "Who are you guys?"

In the cramped room were two older men, wearing robes of explicit jewels and silks. They both wore crowns on their heads, showing their leadership. "We are two of the five royal courts of Vale. Who are you?" asked one in a purple robe. "Uhh, Beast Boy and Raven." the green one answered. "Royal courts, like kings?!"

The other in a red robe nodded, "Yes, I am King Rhys and this King Milton, there are three more, but haven't been caught by the evil one yet." Raven nodded confused, "Right." "So where _is_ this evil dude?" asked Beast Boy, positioning himself with a tough guy attitude.

He was suddenly gagged from behind and thrown against the wall. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about the great Lucas Eardsly, would you?" a cruel snicker laughed. Beast Boy stood up shakily, recovering from the attack, "How'd you guess…"

His glance followed to Raven, who was being held by two dark figures. They resembled medieval executionists, but shorter and they wore no gloves or shoes. Their feet were those of a base foot with claws of an animals'. The speaker stepped forward, revealing himself. He was a tall man with shading gray hair and piercing blue eyes. His thin skeletal features were easily shown as his skin stretched over his bones, giving him a pointy nose and high cheekbones. His thin lips curled into a smile, "So, my young ones, what brings you to my home?"

Beast Boy dusted himself off, "Well, one, you're a whack job, two, you kidnapped kings and I'm sure there's others around here somewhere, and three,…" "You have my stone." Raven broke in icily. "Ah, it's the stone is it?" the man turned to her. "Have I found your precious stone? One with unimaginable powers of transportation?"

She glared at him darkly, "Hand it over, you do _not_ want to make me mad." Lucas took a step back, "Children these days…they think they can threaten elders…tisk, tisk." he shook his head waving a finger. Beast Boy snuck behind one of the creatures holding Raven and morphed into a snake, snapping at its heel. The creature screamed, releasing Raven and holding its foot. Raven burned the other's face with her dark power and Beast Boy kicked them both to the side as a horse. When he turned normal, they both glared at the old man, forgetting about the respect for your elders saying.

They lunged at him, crashing into the wall soon enough. "Where'd he go?" asked Beast Boy, his eyes rolling with dizziness. "He's using the transporter emerald to his advantage. As long as it's out of our reach, he has the advantage." explained Raven grimly. "Aw great!" replied the green one, getting kicked from behind. "Stupid children, you cannot defeat me! I have the highest in command here! You are just the two lucky ones to give me my new power so I can carry on with my plan!" called out a voice behind them.

"Consider your plan over." said Beast Boy, turning around, realizing that the old man wasn't there anymore. Raven suddenly blasted a discharge of energy at the boy, sending him to the ground in pain. "Whatcha do that for?!" he yelled painfully. "He was right in front of you!" said Raven, helping him up, "Sorry."

"I didn't see anything." said Beast Boy, shaking his hair into place. "There he is!"

Raven turned, but saw no one, as Beast Boy stood confused, "Well…he _was_…" A cold, hard, evil laugh echoed throughout the room and Lucas's voice projected as five persons talking at once, "You cannot stop me. You are b-but children! Stupid little children!"

"Dude, in a few thousand years, it'll be children that'll be robbing banks and stores." remarked Beast Boy, crossing his arms. Raven glanced around the large room, figuring out what was going on. "Beast Boy, he's using the emerald two many times at once! His molecules are going to separate sooner or later, spread out!" she ordered. Beast Boy scrambled to the other side of the room and still tried to attack whatever he saw.

He felt as if six people were kicking him at once. Changing into a rhino, he ran at one duplicate which was a fake one and then tried another. Raven, on the other hand, was concentrating by meditation. "How can you be meditating at a time like this?!" Beast Boy yelled out.

Raven ignored this and captured her deepest powers, storing them all up into one compartment and releasing them as her eyes turned a full black. Her body rose off the ground as she chanted. "Azrath, Metrion, Zinthos!" A piercing scream screeched throughout the cavern, spreading all the way down to the village. Isabel sat up quickly with a look of shock on her face.

Beast Boy's eyes wandered around the cave, wondering what had just happened. "Raven?!" She had fallen and appeared to be out for the moment. He sat her up and leaned her against his arm, "What happened?" She blinked a few times and rubbed her head, "I got it back." Beast Boy lifted an eyebrow, "Huh?" She weakly lifted her hand and opened it, revealing a small black jewel, "Let's go home."

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, this chapter is sooo over due. Very sorry for the lateness, I'm kinda stacked on other fics and homework. Global, (I've probably said this before) is a killer and so is math. XP. So, there's one more chapter! Whoohoo! For me anyways… 


	8. There's No Place Like Home

**There's No Place Like Home**

Sunshine was long gone as clouds immediately traveled west to the village, covering everything with shadows and coolness. The feeling to stand there and take in the view was a little frightening for most, as winds warned the villagers that a storm was coming. Chimes rang and doors slammed shut as the people waited for the worst Mother Nature had to offer.

Snug and warm, Isabel continued to watch out the window, hoping for the best and bidding luck to her friends silently. At the moment, she was alone, watching the candle's light bounce off the walls and under beds and chairs. Shadows danced around the room, having their own festivities and frolic. The girl's hazel eyes shut for a second, wondering what could've happened that would take so long.

In a roar of thunder, showers poured down leaking into the room through the window. The young girl rushed in, putting up a thick blanket to shield off the rain. "Nasty weather, isn't it?"

Isabel nodded, "Yes…" "Do not worry. I am sure your friends are safe." the girl assured, leaving the room. Her heart pounded as each roar crashed, hoping for something by the next clap. A sudden flash outside revealed two shadows. Two familiar shadows. In an instant they were gone. Isabel rubbed her wrist nervously, her mind floating around.

At the same time, a dark portal appeared one side of the bed, while a snake shifted into a human on the other. A large smile emerged on the girl's face as they began to tell their tale.

&&&

"So, he just disappeared?"

"No, he plainly took himself apart in different time spaces. That's why it's dangerous to mess around in other dimensions." Raven explained to Isabel. "He won't cause harm to anyone here anymore."

Beast Boy was still in awe of how the young nurse was able to heal Isabel's broken leg so quickly. "Special herbs and right amount of time in mixing." she told him, spinning a cup at the same time. Isabel was standing normally, as if nothing had ever happened. Outside, the weather had cleared, although still muddy, they went out into the world and were cheered.

The two kings had been talking to the village elder and came forth to the three. The three high in command bowed to them, showing respect and honor. "You have done so much for us, please, what may we do for you in return?" asked King Rhys. Raven shook her head, "Nothing, we have to go home in another time."

Beast Boy rubbed his chin as he thought. "Well…" he started with a smile, "No one really knows _us_, so…what we've done, the credit can go to Izzy!" Isabel stared at him. "But I've done nothing!"

"You took us how to get to this place." started Beast Boy.

"You brought us here." added Raven.

"You never left us."

"Without your help, everything would've stayed in the past. So, this was basically all yours!" smiled Beast Boy. He slinked to the side of one of the kings, "She has a good head on her shoulders." he whispered. "Perhaps you can help us in the future?" King Milton asked her. Isabel nodded with a bow, "I would be honored."

"So, is it time for you to leave?" asked the elder.

Raven nodded, "Yes, it's about time we headed home."

The three of them headed out to the pasture, right outside the village as the villagers went back to listening to the highest in commands. Raven took out the transporter emerald and watched it sparkle in the sun. "How much trouble this thing has cost us…" she sighed.

Beast Boy smiled gently at Isabel and blushed. He was going to miss her. She understood him and made him feel warm and fuzzy all over. He was never going to meet another girl like her, no doubt. Isabel shared the same thoughts about him, and hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go. He held her close also, returning the feeling. "I'm gonna miss you, Izzy…"

"I'll miss you too…"

They released each other, look of sadness on their faces. "You can't come with us? I mean, we have plenty of rooms and…" he started, but slowed when she shook her head soundly. "I belong here. But you don't. Goodbye titans." she waved, giving them space to leave. Raven and Beast Boy waved back, soon disappearing as they had entered the world before.

&&&

Starfire sat quietly at the corner table, arms propped up against it, holding her head up as she sighed, waiting for any sign of her two missing friends. "How horrible for something such as this to happen to Raven on the remembrance day of her birth…" she thought sadly, taking another heave.

Robin and Cyborg sat on the couch, watching the TV blare for any new news. Robin had already researched the entire city, even pointed out where each villain had been hiding these days. None of them had any trace of Raven or Beast Boy, and they weren't in any of their favorite hang outs. Word had even gotten to the other chain titans, but they answered with empty information.

"Wonder where they are…" muttered Cyborg, flicking through the channels unfocused.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Two bodies fell from the ceiling and crashed into Robin and Cyborg. "Are we there yet?" gargled Beast Boy, shaking his head.

"RAVEN! BEAST BOY!"

They were both jerked into a bone crushing hug by Starfire. "Where have you been?! Where have you gone?! Why did you go?!" she asked excitedly. "Long story…" muttered Raven. "But you guys just disappeared this morning…literally!" brought up Cyborg.

"This morning?!" both Raven and Beast Boy repeated.

"Yeah! You've been gone for three hours!"

The two looked at each other. "Three hours?" asked Beast Boy. "Three days…" figured Raven, "It's still my birthday?"

"It was another dimension!" said Beast Boy, "Different timing!" "Uggh…" sighed Raven, taking a seat on the couch. She needed a good rest. Beast Boy alternatively jumped up with extreme energy and began telling the entire story of what happened, who they met, and what they battled. The other titans listened, amazed.

&&&

Beast Boy walked down to the nearest store to buy some soda, since they had ran out. Starfire wanted to throw another party, welcoming him and Raven back from their travel. Raven had come along for the trip, only to buy her tea. Raven didn't really want to talk about the past trip, but Beast Boy thought it only right. On their way back, he stopped and watched the sun dip into the water, sinking until the next morning.

"I miss Izzy…" he sighed, shifting the sodas in his bags. "I know. You two were getting close. Not the best idea when you're going to live in different times you know." replied Raven.

"Yeah, but there's just not gonna be anyone like her. I mean…" he started, but was whacked in the head with a football. He dropped the sodas, but Raven luckily caught them with her powers and they floated gently into their shopping bags.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Juni, you klutz!" came a shout from behind them. The two turned to the kids running to them. The girl huffed, "I'm sorry, I'm trying to teach my kid brother how to throw a football right, but he won't listen…" Beast Boy picked up the ball and was about to hand it to her, "No problem, everybody starts some…where…" He stared at the girl, not meaning to, but she looked so familiar.

He gave it to her without a word and she stared back, "Do…I know you from somewhere?" she asked softly. Her hazel eyes scanned his face, feeling as if he was a long lost friend. "I…I don't…I'm Beast Boy." he smiled, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. The girl pushed her brown hair to on side, "Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Izzy."

A large smile appeared on the shape shifter's face as his eyes sparkled. Receiving a respond in such a way, the girl blushed shyly. The younger brother, about six years of age grinned evilly. "Izzy's in love! Izzy's in love!"

The girl glared at her brother and nailed him with the football. "OW! I'm telling mom!" he whined. Beast Boy picked up the ball once again and smiled, "But football's all about getting hurt and rough!" The small boy stopped whining and listened alertly, "Yeah?" Elizabeth shook her head and groaned, "That's what I've been telling you!" Beast Boy spun the ball, "I can…help if you want…" Elizabeth blushed lightly, "That's nice of you…"

Beast Boy quickly turned to Raven, but she had gone. She knew he was needed elsewhere than a party. "I think Beast Boy's recovering just fine." she told herself quietly, entering in the tower.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Well, another tale told. I got this idea (if you want to know) from a videogame that I have played over and over again and I just fell in love with it, so there! I hope you liked this one, even though it took forever to write because I was writing others. Yes, I know, throw bricks and whatnot. Well, I'm hoping of coming out with a new one called Circus and it's about? Very good children! A circus! But with a totally different twist. Check it out.

-TSSC


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